


Sometimes the wild gorlax rides you

by Nary



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A little bit of Shovel Talk, Before Battle, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Nervousness, Post-Coital Cuddling, Shiro finally gets some sleep, Stress Relief, Voltron Positivity Exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 05:30:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11268900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nary/pseuds/Nary
Summary: "Look," he said, "I promise I'll take a break if you will.  Deal?""Perhaps... It would be nice if we could take a break together," Allura suggested.  Her hand ran lightly up his arm, settling on his shoulder almost playfully, in a way that made Shiro confused and more than a little bit warm.  "After all," she continued, "with what's facing us, who knows when we might have another chance..."He figured it was best to make sure he wasn't misinterpreting her suggestion. "Are... are you asking me out?""It wouldn't be required that we go out anywhere," Allura said softly.





	Sometimes the wild gorlax rides you

None of the other Paladins had asked Shiro to talk to the Princess on their behalf. For one thing, they were all too exhausted to think of it, and for another thing even if they had, they would have insisted it wasn't his job. But they had been run off their feet even before the jailbreak from Beta Traz when they'd rescued Slav, and now they were past the point of being tired and stressed and had moved into cranky and dazed. Hunk had fallen asleep in his bowl of soup over dinner, Lance and Keith were bickering with one another more than usual, and Pidge had almost bitten Slav's head off while working on the teludav, which wasn't like her at all. Everyone was on edge - even Coran was running here and there, trying to make sure everything was on track, and mostly serving to make everyone more stressed than they already were.

Shiro didn't really feel comfortable making himself the designated spokesperson, but something had to be done. "Princess," he said, when he finally managed to catch her alone for a moment, "I know we're all getting on each other's nerves -"

"You're not getting on my nerves, Shiro," she told him with a weary smile.

He nodded, mustering a faint smile of his own in return. "I'm glad. But everyone else is running on far too little rest and it shows in their performance lately. I think it would do them good to have a night off. I know we're operating on a tight timeline, but if you think it would be all right..."

Allura looked worried. "I want to make sure everything is as ready as it can possibly be - but that includes my Paladins being in top shape. If you think it's important for everyone to take a break for a little while, then I think it's an excellent idea."

"Great," Shiro said. "I'll let everyone know they can take tonight off. I know they'll appreciate it. Pidge was talking about wanting to see some of the old OIkari cities, and Hunk wondered if they had restaurants..."

"What about you, though?" Allura interjected, putting a hand on his left forearm. "You must be exhausted as well."

"Well, what about you?" Shiro countered with a stubborn look on his face. "You've been keeping everything going. You deserve a night off just like everyone else." 

Allura frowned. "I couldn't possibly... There's still so much to be done, and..."

"It'll still be there tomorrow," said Shiro. He sighed, though, knowing exactly how she felt. There were some things only she could do, and she felt responsible for them, for everyone's safety. Instead of trying to reason with her further, maybe he could make a bargain. "Look," he said, "I promise I'll take a break if you will. Deal?"

"Perhaps... It would be nice if we could take a break together," Allura suggested. Her hand ran lightly up his arm, settling on his shoulder almost playfully, in a way that made Shiro confused and more than a little bit warm. "After all," she continued, "with what's facing us, who knows when we might have another chance..."

He figured it was best to make sure he wasn't misinterpreting her suggestion. "Are... are you asking me out?"

"It wouldn't be required that we go out anywhere," Allura said softly. There was some definite nervousness in her voice, though she seemed to be trying to keep herself composed. "We could stay in my bedroom, for instance..."

Shiro's eyes widened and he tried to find the right words to answer her, but could only nod instead. It felt easier to put his arm around her waist and draw her closer. Allura tilted her chin up, leaning in until their lips were almost touching...

"Oh, Princess, thank goodness I've found you," Coran cried, hurrying around the corner before stopping dead in his tracks. Slav was close behind him, and ran into his back, his many sets of arms flailing. Shiro and Allura jumped apart guiltily, Shiro shoving his hands behind his back in a failed attempt to look casual, while Allura put on a cheerful smile.

"What is it, Coran?"

"I... ahem, well, you see," he said, his gaze darting back and forth between the two of them suspiciously as he tried to reformulate his thoughts. "Slav has some tests he needs to run, and your presence is required on the bridge."

"Did we interrupt something?" Slav inquired. "I'm sensing that our arrival here has interfered with a chain of events that, in 87.3 percent of all known universes, leads to an eventual alliance with the Galra...

"Nothing at all," Allura said, back to her calm and businesslike demeanour as she walked towards them. "I'll be right there." She turned to Shiro, glancing at him over her shoulder. "I hope we can continue our conversation later," she told him with a significant look, and he noticed that despite her best efforts to appear cool and collected, she was blushing.

"Certainly," he said, since there was nothing else he could say in front of Coran and Slav. Allura smiled and turned to go. Coran shot him another dubious glare as the others walked away. 

As they left, Shiro could hear Slav saying, "Now the percentage has dropped to 76.9, oh dear..." As with most things Slav said, he had no idea if that was good or bad. Shiro sighed and went back to let the rest of the team know about their night off.

* * *

The other Paladins had been much more cheerful since Shiro had told them they had the night off. They headed off, alone or in pairs, to the various destinations they had in mind, and the Castle of Lions felt emptier without them there. Even Kolivan and Antok had gone off to wherever the Blade of Marmora went to relax. "Are you sure you don't want to come too?" Pidge had asked before she left, but Shiro just smiled and shook his head.

"I think what I could use most is a quiet night in. Maybe I'll go to bed early." It wasn't entirely a lie, although he still felt a little guilty for saying it.

"Suit yourself," Pidge said. "You could probably use the sleep. Take it easy, okay?" Giving him a quick hug, she ran off to catch up with Hunk.

Shiro watched them leave, and jumped slightly when he heard Coran clear his throat just behind him. The Altean was stealthy when he wanted to be, and with his nerves already on edge, it made Shiro think about how dangerous he would be in a fight. Coran had deliberately let him know he was there, though, so at least Shiro wasn't about to get his throat cut. Yet.

"I wanted to talk with you," Coran said, "about the Princess."

"All right," Shiro replied cautiously. "What about her?"

"Sometimes before a battle, people might do... things... to relieve their stress," Coran said, waving his hand in the air vaguely. "Inadvisable things, at times! Why, once King Alfor and I kidnapped a wild gorlax and rode it around the dining hall to blow off some steam!" He gave Shiro a look as though this was supposed to make sense to him. When Shiro stared at him blankly in response, Coran sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, sometimes when you ride the wild gorlax, it makes a mess and people get hurt."

Shiro took a stab in the dark at Coran's intended meaning. "I'm not planning to hurt the Princess, if that's what you mean."

"Oh, no, I don't think you'd _plan_ on it," Coran said. "I have more faith in you than that, my boy! But things can look different after a battle than they do in the heat of the moment. What you're feeling now - or what she's feeling - might change once that pressure's off. And if it does, well... you can't let that affect your focus, or your role on the team."

"I'm sure that no matter what, we'll all remain good friends and loyal teammates," Shiro said warily.

"Good," Coran said. "Because you're not as irreplaceable as you think." Coming from the normally bright and chipper Altean, it was almost but not quite a threat. 

"Thanks for the advice," Shiro told him, turning to go. "I'll be sure to take it under advisement." 

"Oh and Shiro?" Coran called after him as he left. "When you ride the wild gorlax, make sure to use appropriate protection!"

Shiro hurried off before he could hear any more helpful tips.

* * *

He walked around for a little while, just trying to clear his head, before finally deciding things weren't going to get any clearer and heading to Allura's room. When she opened the door, Shiro's jaw dropped ever so slightly. The Princess was wearing a filmy gown that was nearly translucent, and her long white hair was loose and falling over her shoulders. "You look amazing," he stammered.

"Thank you," she replied warmly. "Won't you come in?" She stepped aside to allow him into her bedroom, which he had never actually seen the inside of before. It was far larger than the rooms the Paladins got, although mostly empty. There was a dressing table and a mirror off to one side, and then at the far end of the room, her bed. Shiro tried not to stare at that, instead turning back to face Allura, who had locked the door and was now standing with her back pressed against it. 

"I have to admit, I'm a little nervous," he told her with a smile.

Allura gave a huge sigh of relief. "Oh good," she said, "so am I! Do you feel like you're being utterly irresponsible and foolish too?" 

"Kinda, yeah," Shiro admitted. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to be here with you. At least we can be nervous and irresponsible and foolish together. Like you said, who knows when there'll be another chance..." He stepped closer, taking her hand, and she moved into his arms for that kiss that had been interrupted earlier. 

It was well worth the wait.

When they drew apart at last, they were both blushing, and Shiro's heart was racing. Allura placed her hand against his chest, feeling those rapid beats beneath her palm before trailing down along his stomach and grasping the edge of his shirt to lift it up. Shiro wasted no time in helping her remove it, and soon they were fumbling with the rest of one another's clothing between kisses as they gradually made their way over to the bed.

Allura pressed him back against the mattress, straddling his hips, her fingers tracing over the faded scars on his body. "I've wanted this so much," she whispered. 

"Me too," Shiro told her. He didn't even feel too self-conscious about his Galra arm as he raised his hands to cup her breasts, savouring the way she sucked in her breath and leaned into his touch. 

"Ooh yes, more," Allura moaned, and Shiro did his best to give her what she needed. He had had no idea up until this point whether Altean and human anatomy were compatible, but it turned out that they most definitely were. He couldn't remember the last time anything had felt this wonderful - although there was a lot he couldn't remember in general. Nothing about the way she was touching him, moving against him, brought up any flashbacks, though, for which he was extremely grateful. He held on to her closely, wishing that it never had to end, although of course, like all good things, it did.

Afterwards, she lay half-draped across him, idly stroking his chest as they caught their breath. Shiro had to admit that he felt far more relaxed, although also just about ready to doze off. "Allura," he mumbled drowsily, "you're incredible."

The Princess smiled, although it turned into a yawn partway through. "Maybe if we just nap a little," she said, "we could try that again later."

Shiro nodded, although he was reasonably sure if they both fell asleep they weren't waking up until morning. "That'd be great," he said. Still, there was something nagging at the back of his mind. "Allura, what's a gorlax?"

She looked puzzled. "I have no idea. Why?"

"No reason," he said. He kept on stroking her hair until she fell asleep, and then finally allowed himself to drift off too.

* * *

"You look like you got some decent rest!" Pidge said brightly the next morning.

"For once," Shiro agreed with a grin. "Hopefully you all had a good time too?"

"Oh man, you missed out not going to the restaurant," Hunk told him. "I'm going to dream about those cakes with the little orange berries on top..."

"Sounds good," said Shiro, even though he was reasonably sure he hadn't missed out on anything. "Maybe we can all go there for a celebration dinner after we beat Zarkon. Say, Pidge, you've been learning Altean - do you know what a gorlax is?"

"No, but I could look it up," she told him, already calling up the language program. She pushed up her glasses to read it better, and then frowned. "Why is it asking me if I'm an adult before I can proceed? Shiro, are you making me look up weird Altean sex stuff?"

"No!" he said. "Or at least... I really hope not." Apparently he might have to have another talk with Coran, because it was entirely possible he'd missed the point of that story.

**Author's Note:**

> A gift for PookElucy for Voltron Positivity Day! I hope you like it :D You can find me on Tumblr at [naryrising](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/naryrising) if you want to ask questions, make requests, or chat!


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